This invention relates to the field of metal cutting and, more particularly, to the field of metal cutting using a laser.
Laser machining apparatus in which a laser beam is focused by a focusing lens to remove metal from a workpiece and where an auxiliary energy source is used to augment the energy supplied to the metal by the laser is known. The auxiliary energy source may be, for example, a plasma, a xenon light, glow discharge, corona discharge, or an auxiliary laser beam. U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,467 (Inoue) reviews methods of supplying auxiliary energy and teaches a method in which auxiliary energy is supplied to a point slightly ahead of the irradiation point rather to the irradiation point. The present invention provides a straightforward and relatively inexpensive method of providing additional energy to a laser machining process.